Outside the Spotlight: Dreamy Battersea with Danielle Fiamanya | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more.

It feels like we’re in Arendelle, as we’re wrapped up in big coats on a chilly December day. Battersea Park is looking cosy and crisp as I meet Danielle. Danielle graduated from The Guildford School of Acting in 2019, and went straight into playing Nettie in The Colour Purple at Curve Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome, for which she received the 2019 Stage Debut award. She was in &Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre when the industry was forced to close down. “We were just down for our warm-up when we found out. I think we kind of knew it was coming, but it was still a shock.” 

Just a few days before, Danielle had made her 2nd cover debut in the show as Juliet, alongside Alex Tranter as Shakespeare and Dillion Scott-Lewis as Romeo. “We had some illnesses, holidays and injuries in the cast just before we closed. When I went on on the Wednesday, I only found out about it on the day. I had just been for a singing lesson, and then got a message from Jordan (Luke Gage) saying ‘I’m so sorry I’m not there, I’m so excited for you. Have the best time!.’ And I didn’t even know yet what was going on”, she laughs. 

Pantomime Round-Up 2020

Usually around this time the vast majority of the three hundred or more Pantomimes end their Christmas runs and cast and crew get a well-earned rest after an intensive fifty-plus show season to packed houses all around the UK. Families will have celebrated together the festive fun and excitement of theatre and young children will have had the first experience of a live show. What is more, the regional theatres will have earned enough income to sustain the venue throughout the year ahead until the next Christmas. 

The Pandemic has changed that for the 2020/21 season with around 200 cancelled or postponed early in the year until 2021 before they even began rehearsals and worse still only a couple opening and completing the scheduled runs. Those Producers who took the chance to go ahead and rehearse, market, and open a show were stopped in their tracks by Tier 3 and 4 closures or worse the need to self-isolate cast members due to illnesses. Many of those affected by closure either planned or rushed to capture their shows so that they could be streamed into our homes. Cinemas do provide a great outlet for captured Theatre, but they too were largely closed so the only way to view was on the home PC / Smart TV. According to the British Theatre Guide some eighty shows were available to view.

Curiously the usually most prolific producer QDOS with 35 shows in a normal season resisted the temptation to stream any archived shows or to capture any of the ten shows that the National Heritage helped to fund to "save Christmas" so many of the biggest Pantomime stars were not to be seen. They did manage to open Pantoland at the Palladium, Sleeping Beauty at the Mayflower in Southampton, and Robinson Crusoe in Plymouth but the first closed soon after opening when London went into tier 3, Southampton closed due to cast illness and Plymouth nearly completed its run until it fell foul of another move into tier 3 regulations. 

When will the West End re-open?

In these very strange and uncertain times, we have been lucky enough to have performers, creators, theatres and producers up and down the country providing everything they can to entertain the public from their homes. Over Christmas, we saw a huge step forward, with numerous West End venues opening and Pantomimes all over the UK being announced. Unfortunately, all of these have now come to a close. But we must look to the future, here you'll find all the information you'll need about when and where these shows are opening in the West End. Of course, these may change but these dates really give us something to look forward to. I for one cannot wait to be back in a dark auditorium in the theatrical heart of the world! 

& Juliet

Re-opening at the Shaftsbury Theatre from the 24th September 2021. 

Back to the Future

Due to open at the Adelphi Theatre on the 20th August 2021. 

The Book of Mormon

Taking bookings from the 12th July 2021 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella

Taking online bookings from the 25th June 2021 at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

Come From Away

Performances at the Phoenix Theatre are suspended until the 18th June 2021, online booking from 21st June 2021. 

The Real Housewives of Musical Theatre

If you're anything like me, you would have fallen in the Real Housewives trap. Over this pandemic there hasn't been a lot to do, so of course watching Real Housewives was on the top of my list. But this got me thinking, who would be the Real Housewives of Musical Theatre? Well, let's find out... 

Madame Morrible 

No doubt she'll stir the pot without any of the others knowing, until all is revealed and her evil ways are exposed. 

Top Features on Pocket Size Theatre in 2020

One thing we LOVE doing here at Pocket is working on features; some are just a bit of fun, some are to promote the good people are doing and others to fulfill your stagey needs! They've always been a super popular thing on our site, so heres the top 10 features that you guys loved! 

Your 2020 Christmas List: Supporting small businesses in our community

This year, with the increase of people starting businesses due to being out of work, we thought we'd help promote some of those people and collected together some of the people we thought we particularly wonderful! Did you shop small this Christmas? 

15 Production Shots that describe the struggles of a Lockdown

The production shot artiles are still, to this day, our most viewed piece EVER! So, of course we had to make a Lockdown edition! Looking back on it, I can't say a lot has changed... 

10 Most Popular Reviews of 2020

What a difficult year for us theatre people, ey? I shan't go into the details of how hard its been for all of us, I think that's pretty clear! But we did manage to get to see SOME theatre, both in-person and online! Here at Pocket Size Theatre, we pulled together our 10 most popular reviews from this past year! Take a look and remember some of the productions that have happened this year, we've had a great time looking back! 

The Pirate Queen at the London Coliseum ★★★★★

"The score is stunning, Tucker’s vocals stole the show whilst she was supported by a fiercely strong cast... Julian Kelly directed the 11-part orchestra to an exceptional standard, deservingly taking centre stage throughout the performance. Every element of the production was of the highest quality, pulling out all the stops to create an outstanding piece of theatre."

The Best Shows we've seen in 2020!

2020.... well, that happened. 

Its been a rubbish year for our industry, but we mustn't dwell on the negatives! So, we thought we'd collect together our top shows that our wonderful reviews have seen this year! Even though these are our top reviewed shows, we just want to say a huge well done to all those who have been involved in creating content this year, as an industry we have pulled through and proven our place in society. Even if the government still don't value us, we must value one another and we wish everyone the utmost success in the new year! 

Without further ado, let's take a look at some of our top shows from 2020! 

A Christmas Carol at the Dominion Theatre

"The whole production is directed with great skill and ingenuity by Shaun Kerrison and backed by some excellent video and graphics by George Reeve projected on the large screen above the band and has the feel of a high production value West End show with great musicality and fresh and lively touches. This is no concert; this is a joyous celebration of musical theatre with a powerful and meaningful message that resonated as much today (perhaps more so) than when Charles Dickens wrote it in 1843. Bravo London Musical Theatre Orchestra. We hope you will return to the stage even stronger in 2021." 

Outside the Spotlight: Reminiscing around the National with Nicholas McLean | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more.

Grey concrete buildings melt into the grey sky on this wintery day, as we meet outside the closed National Theatre. Nick has a long connection to the iconic venue. “It really sparked my interest, and love, for theatre.” His secondary school had a great collaboration with the National, which enabled various school trips to see productions, as well as putting on shows as well. “I spent a lot of time here as a kid.” 

You can see how important and long lasting early exposure and involvement in theatre can be, as Nick went on to study at Mountview for three years and has quite a few shows under his belt now. When theatres were forced to close, Nick was part of WICKED in the West End, playing the role of Boq 8 shows a week. “I had actually been on holiday the week before, and we were all at the theatre when we got the news theatres would close. Broadway had obviously shut down already, so we knew it was coming, but it was still a weird feelings.” 

The Best Onstage Quick Changes in Musical Theatre!

I am an absolute sucker for a quick change and an onstage quick change, I am all for! The little theatre kid in me absolutely LIVES for these in musicals because that's what I used to pretend to do in my bedroom (just me...?). The designers on these shows are incredible and do not get enough credit in general but certainly don't get the credit they deserve for these cool and innovative changes on stage! Take a look at our list and tweet us ones we've missed! 

Mean Girls | Cady Hearon in Revenge Party

Heathers | Heather Duke in Never Shut up Again 

Outside the Spotlight: Seven Dials with Christina Shand | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more.

It’s almost like meeting her in her backyard, as Christina knows every corner of Seven Dials in central London. Christina has spent many an hour in the area over the last couple of years. She was in 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and for the past three years has worked as an instructor at Digme Covent Garden (former Another Space). By the time we meet on a sunny Monday, she’s already taught two cycle classes in the studio, and has another one later on. “It helps me to switch off.”

As we wander around the narrow streets and flashy windows of Covent Garden, we stop every now and then, still surprised by how quiet it is in the usually busy area. “It’s so beautiful here, and there’s so much around”. Does she have a favourite shop in the area? “Not really. I love a coffee, and there are so many to choose from. But things around here can also change so quickly.” 

Outside the Spotlight: Exploring Southwark with Alex Tranter | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more.

It’s a chilly but sunny October day in London. Alex, who was living his best life on stage at &Juliet every night before theatres went dark, takes another sip of his coffee, overlooking the River Thames. We’re just outside the National Theatre, around the corner from the Globe, surrounded by iconic buildings of the city, as he reflects on the memories associated with the South Bank and the area. “It’s my go to place. I just love it here”, he says are we’re strolling along the Thames. 

Alex trained at Italia Conti in London, just a stone throw away. They’d all spent quite some time across the river after long days of classes. “We always felt so fancy just going to the pub here by the river” he laughs. And still today, the area is his go to for a chilled beverage or a meal with his mates. It’s nice to know, some things never change.

Outside the Spotlight: Music Memories with Vicki Manser | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more.

 

It’s an exciting week for Vicki when we meet at Denmark Street in the middle of Central London. It’s the day “Could If I Wanted To”, her second single, got its first radio play. Vicki loves music, she loves her guitars, which is exactly why Denmark Street is one of her favourite spots in London. We wander past the music stores and shops, some open, some unfortunately closed this time. She talks about the time and memories she’s shared with the area, and there are a lot of them. “I’ve come here a lot over the years. I just love it.” 

Britannia High: Where are they now?

Britannia High was the British answer to High School Musical, Fame and Glee! Whilst some may not have even heard of this TV, for some of us it was a huge thing in our younger years. The TV show only lasted one series but the stars of the TV show have gone onto some wonderful careers, as part of our 'Where are they Now' series, we look at where the young cast of Britannia high are today! If you like this series, why not check out some of our others? Our 'Where are they now' series features TV shows like How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria (Search for Maria in The Sound of Music), Any Dream Will Do (Search for Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), I'd Do Anything (Search for Nancy in Oliver), Over the Rainbow (Search for Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz) and Grease is the Word (Search for Danny and Sandy in Grease) and Fame: The musical (the search for Nick and Serena in Fame). 

Matthew James Thomas 

Thomas played Jez, whose actual name is Jeremy but he chooses the nickname to sound 'cooler' and to hide his rich background. After appearing in the show Matthew went on to appear in Midsummer Murders and also was featured in a musical adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Leicester Square Theatre. He then moved over to America where he got cast in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark as the alternate to Reeve Carney, they both played the lead role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He then went on to play the title role in the Broadway revival of Pippin on Broadway. He played Fenwick in the musical adaption of Diner and played Riff in the Hollywood Bowl production of West Side Story.

Twitter: @matthewjethomas

Instagram: @matthewjamesthomasyes

Georgina Hagen

Hagen played Lauren, the character who was discovered singing in an ABBA tribute band at a wedding. Georgia had a successful career in the arts as a child appearing in Annie at the Victoria Palace, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, playing Rebecca in Tracey Beaker and the voice of Control in Starlight Express. After the TV series she went onto play Meat in the touring production of We Will Rock You before appearing in Starlight Express in the Bochum production of the show. She played Dinah for a year in the show before taking over the lead role of Pearl, a role she played for 3 years before reprising her role in the 30th-anniversary production. Her other theatre credits since Britannia High include Shelley Parker in Bat Boy (Southwark Playhouse), Ashley in Like Me (Waterloo East Theatre), Judy - The Songbook of Judy Garland (UK Tour), Nancy in Groundhog Day (Old Vic Theatre) and The Sound of Music (UK Tour). 

Twitter: @geebeesmooch

Instagram: @georginahagen77

Outside the Spotlight: Barbican flair with Jed Berry | Captured by Liz

Outside the Spotlight is brought to you by Captured by Liz in partnership with Pocket Size Theatre, this series of articles is sponsored by Pointe & Flex, a stylish and motivational stationery brand created for dancers, dance teachers and everything in between! From diaries to notebooks, pens to pencils, planners to action lists, Pointe & Flex are here to make sure you stay on top of everything so you can thrive in your industry. Click here to find out more. 

A quiet concrete oasis in the middle of the capital. Things have been busy for Jed, but a trip to the Barbican Centre helps to clear the mind and just breathe. “I love being in London. I moved back home for a while because I gave up my place here when I went on tour, but I recently got back for the show, and I’ve really missed it”, he says as we wander around the Centre trying not to get lost. When lockdown and the closure of theatres was announced, Jed was on tour around the UK with The Book of Mormon, which only started in June last year. Jed recently performed in Fanny and Stella at the Garden Theatre, Eagle London, a new open air venue in the specially renovated garden of The Eagle. In fact, Jed has been trying to keep busy all through lockdown working on an online cabaret with Kinky Boots Angels and Lola’s from all over the world and Jerry Mitchell, choreographer of Kinky Boots. The cabaret aired in July and raised money for Acting For Others, Broadway Cares Covid-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, Black Ticket Project and Broadway Advocacy Coalition. 

Best Understudy and Cover Stories of 2019

Standbys, understudies, alternates and swings are integral to the running of a show. They save the day on a daily bases all around the country in all kinds of shows. In a time where some shows champion their covers on social media and in the actual theatres, some shows still restrict the cast members on the publication of dates and information about their cover dates. But to prove how incredible they actually are, we looked back at the past year with our friends at @WestEndCovers and put together a list of the Best Understudy and Cover stories of 2019!  

"This year the recognition for standbys and alternates has been greater than any before. Some newer shows with smaller casts like Six, Come From Away and Dear Evan Hansen rely on their standbys (who do not perform unless on for one of their cover roles) and alternates (who weekly scheduled shows as their cover) rather than the more common understudy and swing model for shows with a larger ensemble. The difference is that understudies may be a member of the ensemble or a swing who steps up to cover a principle role and a swing steps in to cover ensemble tracks." - @WestEndCovers 

And we must mention but our beloved West End Understudies account are in their 5th Year in 2020!  Here's to the next 5 years of celebrating our fantastic covers all across the theatre industry! 

Take a look at some of these extrodinary stories and tweet us any you think we missed out! @PocketSizeBlog

10 Year Challenge: Some of our Favourite West End Performers!

There's a craze going around at the moment called 'The 10 Year challenge' and as we're welcoming in the new decade, we looked back at some of our favourite performers and did it for them! Check our the list of amazing actors below and the journey they've gone on from 2010 to 2020 and tweet us your favourite 10 year challenge or send us ones we've left off!

Lucie Jones

As Cosette in the London production of Les Miserables and as Jenna in Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Other credits include Emily in A Christmas Carol (Lyceum); Lou in Girlfriends (LMTO); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (UK tour); Maureen Johnson in RENT the Musical (The Other Palace and UK tour); Holly in The Wedding Singer (UK tour); Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve/South Korea – DIMF Best Actress in a Musical Award); Molly Jensen in Ghost: The Musical (Asian tour); Victoria in American Psycho the Musical (Almeida) and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You (world arena tour).

Melanie La Barrie 

As Mrs Phelps in the original cast of Matilda and as the Nurse in the original London cast of & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Other credits include Madame Morrible in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); Mrs Phelps in Matilda (RSC Stratford and Cambridge); The Lorax (Old Vic); Martha Watson in White Christmas (West Yorkshire Playhouse); General Cartwright in Guys & Dolls (Chichester Festival Theatre); Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Liverpool Playhouse); Madame Thernardier in Les Miserables (Queens); Pearl in Daddy Cool (Shaftesbury) and Mrs Corry in Mary Poppins (Prince Edward).

Pantomime 2019/20: The most expensive and Cheapest Pantos this season!

Pantomimes are a huge business here is the UK and with Christmas just around the corner theatres, actors and creatives are all getting ready for the Christmas season and their runs in the 2019/20 pantomime season. 

If you've followed us recently, you may remember our article 'Theatre Tickets: Every West End shows top and lowest price ticket!', a piece in which we compared all the official shows box office top and lowest price tickets. With the pantomime season coming up, we decided to do the same for these productions. 

With huge pantomimes such as the annual Palladium and QDOS productions to smaller scale ones across the country, we have looked at over 180 productions up and down the UK to compare the prices. 

Firstly, lets look at the popularity of these pantomimes within the ones we surveyed. With a winning 35 productions, the pantomime classic Cinderella is the most popular one this year. Coming in a close second is Aladdin with 30 productions, third is shared by the usually much more popular Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the perhaps the not so popular Jack and the Beanstalk. The lowest produced pantomimes this year include Rapunzel and Red Riding Hood (both not traditional pantomimes) with only 1 production each and coming close are Puss in Boots, Mother Goose, The Wizard of Oz and this years London Palladium Pantomime, Goldilocks and the Three Bears with just two productions each.

FIRST LOOK: MAME at the Hope Mill Theatre

MAME, a classic 1960’s musical, with book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, has not been seen in the UK since the original West End production in 1969 starring Ginger Rogers. Set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, the musical focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis. 

Tracie Bennett stars in the title role with Harriet Thorpe and Tim Flavin starring as Vera and Beauregard respectively. The cast also includes Chase Brown as Older Patrick, Grace Chapman as Gloria Upson, Lauren Chia as Pegeen Ryan, Soo Drouet as Mother Burnside/Madame Branislowski, Jessie May as Agnes Gooch, Hugh Osborne as Dwight Babcock, Lewis Rae as M Lindsay Woolsey, Pippa Winslow as Mrs Upson/Sally Cato, Benjamin Wong as Ito and Liam Wrate as Junior Babcock. Harry Cross, Isaac Lancel-Watkinson and Lachlan White will alternate the role of Young Patrick. Completing the cast are Jabari Braham, Aston Newman Hannington and India Thornton.

Hardest Male roles in Musical Theatre

Being a musical theatre performer is not easy in the slightest; from the auditions to get the job in the first place, to the constant rehearsals and finally recreating an incredible performance for a paying audience night after night. This is even before you look at some of the challenges some roles might have within them; either emotionally, physically or vocally. Here at Pocket we have teamed up with our friends at LondonBoxOffice.co.uk and put together a list of characters we think are among some of the hardest. And don't just take our word for it; we've had help from some of our performer friends who have played the roles to give you an insight into what it was like from their perspective. 

There are so many more that could be on this list so if we've missed any, tweet us what you think should be on it! @PocketSizeBlog

BLOG: Has West End Bares failed to deliver diversity in their promotion?

On Thursday (25th July 2019), MADtrust announced the 10th Anniversary performance of West End Bares, this year the theme is ‘Stripped: Back to our Birthday Suits'. 

There is no denying that West End Bares does an amazing job; it creates awareness and ultimately raises a lot of money. The charity, having been around for 25 years now, “raises funds for HIV and AIDS projects that build awareness and provide care, support and education in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa”. Alongside West End Bares, they also run West End Eurovision, West End Christmas and put on cabarets throughout the year amongst other things. 

There have been issues raised on twitter about the inclusion and diversity of the West End Bares 2019 promotion. You can see from the poster that only a certain type of body image is represented.

This raises the question; ’Has West End Bares lost the true meaning of the event?’